Thursday, May 28, 2009

I've always had it in me. A desire to create, to be creative. Didn't always matter about what. Cooking, sculpting, sewing, painting, cutting, sprouting, writing. For me, it was and is all about making something. About putting what I have in my thoughts and heart on the outside. Sharing. Creating.

Making.

So, when one of my bestest friends called me "crafty" and I cringed, I needed to know why. And, when I joined an etsy group and someone called me an artist and I felt like an imposter - I had to take a closer look. Where do I fit in?...I asked myself...and I still do. Where does someone like me without any art school experience or commercial endeavors fit in?

My work and what has come out of me over this past year is more than "crafty" to me. The fact that I have managed to sell and send my creations worldwide is an amazing adventure that tickles me to death. And, an endeavor that I think has kept me sane. For now, I would like to call myself a Maker. It works for me and it feels pretty sweet.

Somehow I feel a wee part of a greater movement that is changing our world. I didn't mean to do that but am happy to have gotten caught in the undertow....

If you are in town, please come by to visit. Reduced price tickets at Radio Shack...and kids under age 3 are FREE!!!!!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I'll be honest, I haven't been hanging around these parts for a while. A long while. My heart told me that distance from the blog/cyber/adoption world was a good idea. And, I think that has been true.

A week or so ago, however, I happened upon one of the "OG" Bloggers MaryMia and her "Salsa in China" blog. It was a take your hat off and stay a while moment. I paged through and hung out reading up on her adventures with her adorable twin girls. I missed her and missed the community.

M3 sure has a lot of fun with mommying, blogging and photographing. She's even been named a winning "Mommy Blogger" by Scholastic - how cool is that? I was particularly taken with her photo journaling of lunchtime around the Salsa Home in the form of Bento Boxes, twin style (click here to see her fantastic flickr collection). Brilliant. And, yes, I wanted a part of that action. Just a little piece of the cuteness.

There just so happens to be a Daiso shop nearly walking distance from where I work. They had a full- on Bento Box section that was easy to navigate but difficult to leave. The colors and the cute wee shapes just pulled me in. Here is my starter pack:

My excuse for buying these toys? Easy. I promised to help my sister entertain/occupy her one year old and nearly 3 year old during their father's lengthy graduation ceremony. I brought crayons and little toys.

But the Bento Boxies definitely stole the show. And, I think, saved us from a simmering and likely meltdown.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I've been busy with a large project that I will reveal later this week. Til' then, I thought that I'd revive the buttercup blog a little with some photos and updates about where I've been and what I've been doing.

A friend of mine told me about this very cool collective called the Art House back in December. I thought that I would give myself a Christmas present and sign up for one of their cool projects. The Art House is based in Atlanta, GA. Here is their synopsis of their mission:

ART HOUSE IS ABOUT FAMILYArt House creates massive, nationwide art projects that tie hundreds of artists together – and anyone can participate.We started two years ago with the goal of bringing art to the masses. Since we started, we have interacted with thousands of artists from around the world, all brought together with the common goal of creating art and sharing it with each other.

We host many of the exhibitions for our projects at our gallery in Atlanta, Ga. In an attempt to give artists as much recognition as possible, as well as providing the opportunity to see the exhibition that they're a part of in person, we have started taking select projects to guest galleries around the country.

Pretty sweet, huh? I signed up for the Sketchbook Project. I sent them a little money, they sent me a cute little Moleskine sketchbook and a deadline. Very little else was specified by the Art House beyond the theme of the sketchbook show - "everyone we know". My kind of art project.

It ended up being more of a journal sort of project for me. Filled with family members, colors and things symbolic of what I love and who I am. Here is a pic of the last page of my sketchbook:

My hopes, dreams, friends, family, heart and art - in watercolor and journal form have been having a way better vacation than I. Traveling all over the East coast, shaking hands with curious gallery visitors. Brooklyn, Boston, Chi-Town. Pretty cool. At some point, my sketchbook will come back home to me and I will imagine who has held it, what they thought and hope that someone understood a little about who I am.

I also wanted to blog about this because I thought that it might inspire someone who still comes around to visit this little bit of cyberspace. If you are interested, here is a link to the Art House - there are some more really great projects happening. And, I know that there are (or used to be) a whole lot of creative people that visit my blog.